Winnipeg has three community radio stations.
They are:
CKXL-FM at 91.1 FM. It is a French Canadians station established in 1991. It is owned by a non-profit organization that received assistance from various levels of government to provide an alternative to the CBC French channel.
NCI Radio Network at 105.5 FM. It was established in 1971 and is owned by a native non-profit organization. In 2009, NCI started a new station aimed at urban music lovers. Despite the strong First Nations focus, the station is aimed at a wider youth audience.
CJNU-FM at 107.9 FM is the only co-op station in Winnipeg at present. The station established in 2006 is aimed at a senior audience and plays nostalgic pop classics from the 1930s to 1970s.
At present there is no co-op radio aimed at public affairs in Winnipeg. To find that, we must look further afield to Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
Anyone interested in co-op radio focused on public affairs, please contact me.
I think this is a fantastic idea. There is definitely a market for this kind of thing in Winnipeg. I don't know how much help I could actually be in the process of getting this kind of thing off the ground, but, I'm willing to offer my support in any way that I can.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right that there is likely support for the idea.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest help for the majority of people would probably be in just becoming a co-op member and supporting the programming by listening.
My understanding of some of the co-ops in other provinces is that they started with something as small as $40 contributed and an annual contribution of $25. Thereafter, specific fundraising enterprises kept the radio station on the air.
In my opinion, the best way to go would be to get the numbers together that would support a co-op and then seeks out the expertise within to get it to take off.